


Affection

by scarslikeconstxllations



Series: Siren One-Shots [1]
Category: Siren (TV 2018)
Genre: Bristol Cove, F/F, Longing, Mates, Ocean, Sensuality, Siren, Swimming, f/f - Freeform, mermaid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2019-06-26 22:32:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15672606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarslikeconstxllations/pseuds/scarslikeconstxllations
Summary: After Ryn left Ben alone to recover, she seeks refuge in Maddie in her vulnerable state. On one particularly beautiful evening, Maddie explains the concept of emotions to Ryn. Such feelings are not unfamiliar to the mermaid, but Ryn discovers that they are much different on land than in the sea. Ryn, in return, explains how mermaids view relationships with family, their colony, and their mates. Specifically, the concept of affection.





	Affection

**Author's Note:**

> A.n. This takes place shortly after episode ten of season one, so if you haven't caught up yet it would be best to watch the final episode before reading this. The basis of the plot is from the events that take place during the episode.
> 
> This is my first time writing for this fandom. I absolutely fell in love with the series and am glad I decided to immerse myself in it. I hope you all enjoy the fruits of my efforts!
> 
> Note: The phone call with Maddie's mom is kind of MIA at this point. Sorry!

In all the time she had been on land, the strangest thing to Ryn was the concept of being human.

Of course, this made sense, considering she was a creature of the sea. But if she wanted to stay on land as to not anger her colony, she needed to learn more about the form she was currently inhabiting. 

Stars twinkled above, the small diamonds reflecting on the surface of the waves. Gulls called in the distance, their crooning cries being washed away by the sound of the tide. Ryn sat next to Maddie on the dock, her legs crossed so they didn't touch the water. Maddie, on the other hand, had kicked off her shoes in favor of dipping her feet in the salty murk below them. 

Ryn pressed closer to Maddie, resting her head on the other female's shoulder. Maddie didn't flinch, having gotten used to Ryn exploring the idea of affection with humans. What she didn't know, however, was how Ryn was taking her sister's death. The room full of people outside Helen's bedroom weren't deaf to the small wails that snuck through the walls, no doubt coming from Ryn at the concept of losing her sister. But none of the individuals; Maddie, Ben, Helen, or Dr. Decker dared to say anything on the matter. The grief of Donna's death was most likely tormenting the poor mermaid, and Maddie hoped to be able to give her some closure.

Ryn had come to Maddie herself, much to Maddie's surprise. She had been on her way to Helen's from Ben's house when she took a detour, seeking Maddie out at her dad's house. Maddie had suggested that they sit by the water for a while, with a knowing look in her dad's direction. He didn't question it, having been brought up to speed on the events that had taken place that day. 

So there they sat, on the dock, Maddie's legs swirling the water around below them as the two drank in the silence of the night. Maddie wanted Ryn to be the first to speak, as to not push the mermaid, and to her delight she was. 

"Maddie sad?" her melodic voice asked in the thick accent that Maddie had grown attached to.

Maddie gave Ryn a small, reassuring smile, to ease her mind. "Not in the way that you think." She struggled to come up with the words to explain what she was feeling to the mermaid next to her. "I'm sad for you, not myself. Because you lost your sister. I can't imagine what you're feeling right now." Upon the curious look Ryn gave her, Maddie decided to continue. "What I'm feeling for you right now is called empathy. It happens when one person understands what another is going through and they share some of their emotions."

"Ryn also sad," Ryn declared, breaking their eye contact in favor of staring down at the dark seawater. "Sister is gone."

Maddie's heart clenched at the masked emotion in Ryn's voice. "That's called grief. It's when you lose something or someone, and you feel really sad because of it." She didn't want to push Ryn, but she was curious. "When you're in the water, do you experience any of these . . . emotions?"

Ryn didn't reply for a moment, and Maddie worried that she'd crossed an invisible line. But when Ryn started to answer, Maddie realized that there was a form of longing in her tone. As if she had been waiting for the chance to explain herself to someone for a while. "In the water, we hunt." Maddie knew that much, but she waited for Ryn to continue. "We hunt with family."

Once again, Maddie's heart broke at the tone of Ryn's voice. "You loved your sister," Maddie declared, to which Ryn nodded in confirmation. She was trying to understand what Ryn was getting at. "You hunt with the people you love?"

"Yes," Ryn confirmed. "Sister help make me strong; I help sister be fast. We love each other."

"So in the water, you can feel love for other mermaids," Maddie declared after a pause. "I assume you can feel anger and a sense of protectiveness as well?"

Ryn nodded. "We protect family and colony so we are safe from predators. We also protect mates."

"Mates? As in lovers?" Maddie asked in surprise. She felt bad for assuming that mermaids couldn't love others besides their family, but Ryn's kind didn't seem like a particularly affectionate species. She assumed their primal instinct was to reproduce, same as most other aquatic mammals. 

"Ben and Maddie like mates," Ryn supplied to help with Maddie's confusion. "Ben and Maddie love each other."

"So mates for you and your kind are like lovers are to us," Maddie concluded and received a nod from Ryn. "How do mermaids know when they've found their mate?"

"Like Ben and Maddie, we feel love. We want to protect our mates."

Maddie figured this was in substitution of affection, but she wanted to make sure. "How do you . . . show love and affection in the water?" This whole concept was new to her and she wanted to understand it as best as she could.

"With sounds," Ryn said in reply. 

"Sounds, as in your song? I thought that was just to ward off predators?" Now Maddie was definitely confused.

Ryn shook her head. "Song used for many things. But when we show love we sing or make sounds to our mates."

Maddie was still confused, but she proceeded with a different question. "Do mermaids have more than one mate?"

"Some, yes." Ryn looked at Maddie with a gaze that she couldn't decipher. "Like Ryn."

Maddie swallowed but said nothing. Was it possible that Ryn was referring to her and Ben? If there was someone or multiple . . . mermaids out in the water that were her mates, she was sure Ryn would have mentioned it already. But when they had met, Ryn's primary focus was always her sister. So it was very possible that Ryn was referring to them, the only two humans she was affectionate with.

"Maddie is confused," Ryn guessed, watching her mate's face carefully. "I will show Maddie."

"Show me what?" Maddie asked. She saw Ryn stand up and begin to undress, and worry took over her features. "Ryn, what are you doing?" she asked nervously. She didn't want Ryn to dive into harm's way just so she wouldn't be confused anymore.

"Ryn will show Maddie love," Ryn said.

Maddie knew that by the tone of Ryn's voice, she had made up her mind, and the stubborn mermaid wouldn't be changing it any time soon. Instead of arguing with her further, she watched cautiously as Ryn stepped to the edge of the dock, her clothes discarded in a pile behind her. Maddie jumped in surprise as Ryn dove into the water, leaving nothing but a trail of bubbles in her wake. 

"Ryn!" she called worriedly, falling to her knees and peering over the edge of the wood into the water below. She knew how painful the transformation was. Furthermore, Ryn was a trained killer in her natural form. It was true that she had saved Ben from drowning, but Maddie was still cautious. Especially when the mermaid had razor sharp teeth, claws, and spikes for fins. 

For a few minutes, Maddie received no response. The dark water churned, reflecting Maddie's concerned features on the surface. It was too murky to see anything below, but she began to slowly see a face appearing below her. Jumping back, Maddie watched as Ryn surfaced, now in her true form.

To anyone else, Ryn looked terrifying. She had spikes coming down her back, sharp teeth that made lethal weapons, and claws adorning her webbed fingers. But to Maddie, Ryn was strangely beautiful. Her high cheekbones and pale skin were a beautiful contrast to the blue of the ocean, and they seemed to glow in the starlight. She swam closer to the dock, her tail splashing behind her as she pushed herself up to level Maddie's gaze.

Maddie watched the mermaid before her with fascination more than fear. A bit of apprehension was still in her gaze, being unsure that Ryn was able to abandon all primal instinct in that form. But when Ryn continued to gaze at her, unphased, Maddie reached out her hand.

Ryn instantly leaned forward, nuzzling her face into Maddie's touch. Maddie ran her fingers along one of Ryn's high cheekbones, gliding over the soft flesh with ease. Only when a small sound emitted from Ryn's mouth did Maddie realize what Ryn had been trying to show her.

It wasn't a hiss or a growl. It was more of a coo, as birds call to one another. Small chirping and cooing noises left Ryn's mouth, and Maddie came to understand that these were the sounds Ryn was referring to. They were soft sounds of affection. 

Maddie wasn't sure if Ryn could understand her in her current form, but she wasn't about to doubt the mermaid's intelligence. After all, their intellect far surpassed that of humans. "You are beautiful," Maddie said slowly, with clarity. "I finally understand what you meant. You show affection with the sounds you can make in this form."

Ryn chirped in response, her tail splashing behind her in agreement. She pulled her face away from Maddie's wandering hands and beaconed the human closer as she dove beneath the waves once more. 

Maddie almost declined, not wanting to skinny dip in the freezing water so late at night. Especially with a creature other than one of her own species. But Ryn was human just as she was a creature of the sea, and she had feelings that Maddie didn't want to risk hurting. Ryn was trying to show her affection, giving her a sacred piece of what made mermaids who they were, and she planned on cherishing that. 

With a bit of hesitance, Maddie slowly undressed. Ryn had disappeared below the surface once more, so she found it easier to do without watchful eyes on her. Maddie knew Ryn was curious about the anatomy of humans, but having her form examined by the mermaid was still something she had to get used to, 

Trying to ignore the intense pounding of her heart, Maddie held her breath and descended into the freezing water below. The salt stung her eyes, but she soon found herself peering into the deep blue sea surrounding her. The ferocity of her heartbeat jammed against her ribcage as if the organ was trying to escape from its prison. For a moment, Maddie was concerned that Ryn had left, but she soon heard a familiar melody that made the doubt ebb away. 

The Siren song floated through the water, each note riding the blue waves with precision and ease. The melody filled the sea as if she was being wrapped in it tightly like a blanket. She then saw Ryn swimming towards her, her watchful eyes gliding over Maddie's form. As the song continued, Ryn circled Maddie. Occasionally, a webbed hand would brush against her skin; the feel of scales would gentle her flesh. Through it all, Maddie stayed as still as she possibly could, treading water below the surface so the mermaid could examine her. 

Once Ryn was thoroughly satisfied with her examination of the human she had been hoping for, she swam closer. Facing Ryn below the surface was an entirely different feat than watching her on land. Underwater, her form moved with a grace that humans could merely dream of. Her hair splayed about her like a halo, hovering just above her head. When Ryn saw that Maddie was gazing at her just how Ryn usually looked at Maddie, she let out a pleased coo and closed the distance between herself and the human. 

Webbed hands graced Maddie's hips, a tail curling around her legs. Ryn's forehead pressed against her own, and an unspoken thought was passed between the two. _This is affection._ Ryn didn't have to say it for Maddie to understand what she meant. 

As if sensing that Maddie needed to come up for air, Ryn helped her resurface. Gasping in mouthfuls of oxygen, Maddie turned to face the mermaid before her. After she caught her breath, she gave the stunning creature before her a gentle smile. "Affection," she confirmed as Ryn's lithe arms pulled her close once more. 

_Affection,_ Ryn's eyes seemed to say. 

Another soft noise left Ryn's mouth as Maddie pressed her face into the crook of Ryn's neck, relaxing to the song of the Siren surrounding the space around them.

**Author's Note:**

> A.n. Please leave kudos if you liked this! And thank you for reading. I'm not sure if I will keep writing for this fandom but we shall see with time.


End file.
